Applicants must be a senior at a high school or a home schooling program in Oklahoma. Applicants can also be recent graduates of either high school or a home schooling program. If the student can show they didn’t go into college after high school due to the cost, then that can help them to qualify for the funds available through the Jimmie L Dean Scholarship.
All applications must be complete or they won’t be considered. Applicants are encouraged to contact the scholarship fund if they have any questions about how to fill out the application. ACT scores must be included with the scholarship application for it to be considered. Students are encouraged to take such tests early in order to ensure they have that requirement fulfilled before the application deadline. An ACT score of 20 or higher must be received by the student.
The structure of the Jimmie L Dean Scholarships is one that focuses on much more than just overall grades. While a high GPA is important to be considered, the committee will also be evaluating leadership, community involvement, and the overall character of the applicants. They will be looking for those that have overcome obstacles, worked hard, and that may have financial barriers that could prevent them from continuing their education.
The committee will be looking for students that also have many of the characteristics of Jimmie L Dean. He was a hard worker that did what he could in life to help others. He continued to look for solutions on the job and that earned him the respect of his peers. He was committed to being generous to those less fortunate.
The goal of the Dean scholarship fund is to help supplement the financial aid that the student receives from other sources. The number of unknown Dean scholarships awarded annually will vary based on the applicants and the number that stand out in the eyes of the committee. The fund does offer approximately $90,000 annually in funds to students. The maximum amount of each Jimmy Dean scholarship is $10,000. However, that amount can be less based on the cost of enrollment at their selected college and their other financial aid.
This little known scholarship can be renewed up to four years by recipients. In order to continue receiving the funds, the student must remain enrolled in a four year program full time. They must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be involved with various activities of the college and community. They must stay in good standing in terms of behavior with the college as well.
The Jimmie scholarship has been in place since 2008. Jimmie L Dean was a long term resident of the state of Oklahoma. He believed that education, respect, and personal goals could help a person to do very well in life. JD was an American country music singer, television host, actor as well as a businessman from creating his brand of Jimmie Dean sausages.The funds for this unheard of scholarship are from his estate as he had it set up before his death for the money he had to be used for a good cause.
Applications for the Jimmie L Dean Scholarship are accepted each spring. Applications must be received by April 30th to be considered for this obscure scholarship. Late applications will not be accepted. The application can be submitted online and the applicant will get a confirmation email when it is received. Applications can also be mailed to the address on their website. Recipients will be notified of their award by the end of May. Those funds will be available for college for the fall term.
These JLD unknown scholarships pay well to Oklahoma students and deserve mentioning here, and they award a good number of them every year so it’s well worth taking the time to apply for them.